Alexandre Boulos is a 19-year-old student majoring in Computer and Communication Engineering at the American University of Beirut (AUB). Seven years ago, he was shot right in the eye during a paintball game which made him stay at home for a while to recover. He almost lost his vision and was no longer able to use his right eye.
However, this tragic injury was healed by the power of music. During his recovery period at home, Alex spent his time watching YouTube tutorials on how to play the piano. Day after day, he started teaching himself how to produce music using softwares and controllers via YouTube tutorials also. After recovering from the injury, Alex was like a magician but with no magic stick. Right when the launchpad came out to the market, Alex felt complete now that he found his magic stick, the launchpad. In fact, Alex won the title of AUB’s Got Talent for the year 2015.
“My day wouldn’t be complete if I don’t go to the living room and play that grand wooden piano. I spend most of my time there just playing random melodies and then I started composing. I think that my passion for music is what keeps me in the music game”. When asked if the launchpad will someday replace his piano, Alex laughed and said “Nothing will ever replace my precious piano! I learned how to play the piano first and through it I was able to master playing the launchpad”.
Not only does Alex play the launchpad and the piano for the love of it, he also plays them to support good causes. On August the 7th, Alex played at a fundraising concert in Mar Mikhael, Beirut to fundraise Association Aida (fight against cancer) and it was a huge success.
Watch this video to catch a glimpse of what Alex can do.
Follow Alex on Instagram and Facebook for more music videos.
Do you know of any other young artist that plays the launchpad in your country? Let us know in the comments below.